BRIAN KELLOCK - Bidin' My Time
HHCD1
Brian Kellock (piano)
In an era where it is easier than ever to 'make an album', there is often a glut of recordings that hit the shops or are available for download/streaming. This in turn means that some artists record too often, and some recordings appear that should never have been made at all. In Brian Kellock's case, the opposite is true. A musician who deserves to be widely heard yet seldom recording. Those with long memories will remember the phenomenal debut album, Live At Henry's (now long since deleted) that indicated at a major new voice was among us. Since then there have been three duo albums with saxophonist Tommy Smith and a smattering of sideman appearances. However, things now seem to be set to put things right, albeit a little overdue.
By his own admission, Kellock admits that Bidin' My Time is an album that he has been wanting to make for a while, and specifically a solo piano album, and as he puts it, 'especially wanting to get to grips with the wonderful world of stride'. Needless to say the results sound effortless, with the music flowing in a manner many never achieve. What is testament to Kellock's artistry is that one is never consciously aware of the virtuosity required to pull off performance such as these, but is only aware of the beauty and integrity of the music. The pianist certainly shows no fear or trepidation in tackling the stride pieces as he takes on 'Slow Boat To China' and Fats Waller's 'A Handful Of Keys' with gusto and supreme taste.
Another fantastic two handed tour de force can be heard on an extraordinary rendition of Georg and Ira Gershwin's 'I Got Rhythm', a staple in the repertoire that continues t throw up endless possibilities for invention, but it is in the slower pieces that the true artistry comes through. The pianist opens with a delightful 'Easy To Remeber' from the pens of Rodgers and Hart that sets the tone for some exquisite piano playing. No less captivating are readings of 'Heather On The Hill' and 'Young And Foolish' that all come to life sounding as fresh as the day they were written under Kellock's masterful interpretations. Not one to wear his influences on his sleeve, Brian acknowledges his love of Ellington in a beautifully sparse version of Duke's 'Sunset And The Mockingbird' from the Queen's Suite that leaves an audacious amount of space in the music that allows us to bask once again in Duke's beautiful melody.
When Live At Henry's was released in 2001 there were references made in the jazz media to the Bill Evans Trio and the famous Village Vanguard recordings of 1961 such was the quality of invention in the music, and if such a comparison should be sort for this latest recording than look no further than Keith Jarrett's The Melody, At Night With You, as it is very rare to find solo piano albums that are quite that good, and this marks out Bidin' My Time as essential listening.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
HHCD1
Brian Kellock (piano)
In an era where it is easier than ever to 'make an album', there is often a glut of recordings that hit the shops or are available for download/streaming. This in turn means that some artists record too often, and some recordings appear that should never have been made at all. In Brian Kellock's case, the opposite is true. A musician who deserves to be widely heard yet seldom recording. Those with long memories will remember the phenomenal debut album, Live At Henry's (now long since deleted) that indicated at a major new voice was among us. Since then there have been three duo albums with saxophonist Tommy Smith and a smattering of sideman appearances. However, things now seem to be set to put things right, albeit a little overdue.
By his own admission, Kellock admits that Bidin' My Time is an album that he has been wanting to make for a while, and specifically a solo piano album, and as he puts it, 'especially wanting to get to grips with the wonderful world of stride'. Needless to say the results sound effortless, with the music flowing in a manner many never achieve. What is testament to Kellock's artistry is that one is never consciously aware of the virtuosity required to pull off performance such as these, but is only aware of the beauty and integrity of the music. The pianist certainly shows no fear or trepidation in tackling the stride pieces as he takes on 'Slow Boat To China' and Fats Waller's 'A Handful Of Keys' with gusto and supreme taste.
Another fantastic two handed tour de force can be heard on an extraordinary rendition of Georg and Ira Gershwin's 'I Got Rhythm', a staple in the repertoire that continues t throw up endless possibilities for invention, but it is in the slower pieces that the true artistry comes through. The pianist opens with a delightful 'Easy To Remeber' from the pens of Rodgers and Hart that sets the tone for some exquisite piano playing. No less captivating are readings of 'Heather On The Hill' and 'Young And Foolish' that all come to life sounding as fresh as the day they were written under Kellock's masterful interpretations. Not one to wear his influences on his sleeve, Brian acknowledges his love of Ellington in a beautifully sparse version of Duke's 'Sunset And The Mockingbird' from the Queen's Suite that leaves an audacious amount of space in the music that allows us to bask once again in Duke's beautiful melody.
When Live At Henry's was released in 2001 there were references made in the jazz media to the Bill Evans Trio and the famous Village Vanguard recordings of 1961 such was the quality of invention in the music, and if such a comparison should be sort for this latest recording than look no further than Keith Jarrett's The Melody, At Night With You, as it is very rare to find solo piano albums that are quite that good, and this marks out Bidin' My Time as essential listening.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
